Love Like No Other, A MinaKushi Tale
by ForestOfTheFae
Summary: The story of the legendary couple, Minato Namikaze, the fourth hokage, and Kushina Uzumaki, the nine-tails' jinchuuriki host. Starting from the day they meet, what kind of romance, friendship, adventures, and battles can these two get into? [DISCONTINUED]
1. Prologue

Minato was sure he was going to burn up if he didn't escape this classroom soon. The back of the classroom seemed to be where all the heat culminated into this slow-moving cloud that was intent on making him miserable. He could feel his blonde bangs plastered to his forehead, and his throat felt like Sunagakure. The sensei was still rambling on about the clone technique, which they had been studying for two weeks now. Minato had mastered it within the first few days.

He watched the clock tick away the minutes until break and a drink, fading in and out of sleep. He couldn't seem to muster the energy to look at his classmates, but it was no matter. All of them were on the same track of mind. That is, until a flash of red entered their vision. Minato's eyes flicked to the color instantly, taking in the new arrival with a hint of surprise. The eleven year old was hardly used to people with such a startling hair color. He himself had been teased for his shock of blond hair, and he knew this girl was in for it. He could tell from his seat in the back that once you got past her brilliant locks, there wasn't much different about her.

She still had the body of a young girl, with a round face and pale skin. Her eyes were a startling violet. The only people that Minato knew with an eye color even remotely like that were the infamous Hyuga clan. He tuned into his sensei's voice as he introduced her as Uzumaki Kushina, a recent immigrant from the Land of Waves. The teacher allowed her to wave shyly before instructing her to find a seat. Her eyes roved over the class, many of which were whispering in not-so-soft voices of her appearance and the recent elimination of a hidden village in the Land of Waves. Minato knew how she must feel, moving to a new place. People in Konoha could be fairly judgmental, so when her eyes landed on the empty seat next to him, he offered her a friendly smile.

She didn't return it. Her scowl remained in place, and she stomped her way up the steps to his back row table as if someone had done her a misdeed. He watched her as she sat down next to him, shoving her empty backpack under her chair with a huff before plopping down, then shooting him a glare.

"What're you looking at, Blondie?"

Minato blinked, unable to form a response, and after a moment she withdrew into her mind to listen to the teacher as he returned to the subject of clones.

Soon the break bell rang, and as the rest of the students cleared out of the steaming classroom, he found that she was staring down at him expectantly. He met her gaze confusedly, wondering what she wanted. She quickly gave him his answer.

"Well, What're you waiting for? Aren'tcha gonna show me around?"

The poor boy hadn't even spoken one word to her yet, and already she was bossing him around. He arose with a sigh and a roll of his blue eyes, pushing his chair neatly under his desk as he headed for the door.

"I suppose. Come along, then."

He heard her moving behind him, following him through the halls to the small recreation area outside the building.

"Aren'tcha gonna tell me your name, Blondie, or am I just gonna hafta call ya this for the resta your life?"

The girl was starting to irritate him with her constant remarks. He turned to face her, walking backwards through the empty halls, and put on his friendliest smile. His policy was to be nice to others, and maybe they would be nice to you.

"It's Minato, Minato Namikaze. Your name's Kushina, right? That's a real pretty name."

At his first words, she seemed to be tempted to come up with some smart-alleck remark, and was almost tempted to try to trip him as he walked backward. That was something she was never good at, walking backwards. She'd trip over something, like a rock... or her hair.

But then she heard the word pretty. That was something only her parents would say in relation to her. Now she had two options. One, she could act like an actual girl, blush, and thank him, therefore ruining any chance of showing this boy and all the rest that she was just as tough as any Konoha nin. Or, she could blush and hit him just hard enough to show him she was strong, too. She could see that he was well-built for an eleven year old, though she still thought he was flaky.

So, she chose option two. She smirked as she heard him yell in surprise, and then glare at her as if she had done something wrong. She was not a shy, girly-girl. She was going to hang with everyone here in Konoha as if she had lived here her whole life.

They emerged from the hallway, and she had just enough time to glance around the grassy area that was the recreation area before a dark-haired boy followed by several others charged up. The leader was a rather sour looking boy with dark eyes. The boys that followed him seemed to have the same look about them. Dark eyes and hair, and a sallowness that linked them in her mind.

They must be a clan.

They formed a loose semi-circle around her new blond companion and herself, and looked at her with a certain animosity in their gazes. Finally, the leader spoke up, and he wore a smile that was much too self-gratifying for her liking.

"So, Uzimika Kashina. Welcome to the Hidden Leaf."

So, that was how he wanted to play, huh? She glowered at him. They were about the same height, and she was sizing him up before he even spoke. She could take him.

"It's Uzumaki Kushina, Braindead! Get it right!"

He held up his hands, glancing at his friends with this grin that infuriated her.

"Hey, hey! No need for anger, Ku-Shi-Na. I just wanted to introduce myself. The name's Uchiha Fugaku, and this here is Gakure and Hakusho, also of the Uchiha."

She nodded to them both in turn, knowing that the greater problem here was the boy in front of her.

"Nice to meet you." She said, coldly. She glanced over at Minato, seeing him leaning against the wall with a stony look. clearly he didn't much like the boys in front of him. She took that as a clear indication of how she should feel. After all, Minato had been pretty nice to her so far.

Before Fugaku could say anymore, she grabbed Blondie's hand and shoved through their little intimidating line-up.

"Sorry, wish I could stay to hear some more, but me and Blondie here has got some explorin' to do!"

She looked over to the boy running beside her, and this time she shared the grin with him. Maybe they could get along.


	2. The Red Thread of Fate

Kushina's long hair moved softly in the wind as she watched her new sensei just as closely as he watched her. His dark eyes gleamed and darted as he examined the three of them. The other two were her classmates, Aburame Shibi and Nara Shikaku. Shikaku was a rather lazy boy, who didn't like moving from his spot where he watched the clouds much. Underneath his lazy facade, however, he was a genius at battle strategy and just about anything in particular. Shibi, on the other hand, was a rather laid back and silent fellow. He kept his eyes hidden behind dark glasses. Like almost every shinobi in the Aburame clan, he had a pact with chakra eating bugs. They were all note-worthy shinobi. Sakumo decided this for himself as he sized them all up.

"So, this is team Three, eh?" He asked.

They all stayed silent. He looked at them once again, finally addressing Kushina.

"You there, who are you?"

She stood, facing her new sensei, "I am Uzumaki Kushina."

"Tell me a bit about yourself. Uzumakis aren't from around here. What are you doing here?"

"I came here when I was younger... My parents wanted to move closer to our relative, Mito-sama."

The White Fang eyed her for a moment more before moving along to quiz Shukaku. Kushina was allowed her own time to daydream. She could sense that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between her and her sensei. She _hated_ demanding adults.

*: ・ﾟ'✿ﾟ・❀

Minato sat underneath a tree watching his new teacher, Jiraiya, peep at women. Their first day as a team, and already they knew his tendencies. He was a writer and he called this his inspiration. Minato had laughed so hard, when he heard him say it, that his entire frame shook. Now he sat underneath this tree with his two new team mates, and all he could think about was Uzumaki Kushina. Her fiery red hair and temper had drawn him in while they were still at school. She had teased him relentlessly as his friend, and still took every opportunity to tell him that he was a flake, but they had grown close. With a sigh, he turned his back to the setting sun and leaned back against the tree, intending to take a nap while his teacher fooled around.

*: ・ﾟ'✿ﾟ・❀

Kushina entered her family's great house on the outskirts of Konoha and immediately she noted the silence. She slipped her sandals off and padded down the halls to the kitchen, calling for her parents. When she got no reply, she assumed they were asleep or gone somewhere. Her mind wandered back to her team. Their latest mission had gone quite well, and she was tired. It had been several months since she had become a part of Team Sakumo, and her ninjutsu had greatly improved, though it still needed some work. Her fatigue made her drowsy, and her senses suffered because of it. As she entered the kitchen, a hand covered her mouth quite forcibly. Looking up, she saw the face of a hidden cloud village ninja. Unable to make a noise, she was led out of the house and into the night without a sound. Not a soul was around to see or hear, and if it wasn't for a simple stroke of brilliance on her part, she possibly would never have been found in time.

Catching sight of her own brilliant red hair in the moonlight, Kushina watched it wave in the strong wind blowing through the trees. Bound and gagged though she was, she could still see as it hung on a branch and left several hairs behind. Her young eyes widened and she realized she should be doing everything she could to help the search party that was surely to come. She glanced up at the two ninja leading her silently through the trees, and nervously tested her theory. She pulled out one long strand of her hair, dropping it on the path behind her. Neither of them noticed a thing, and when she peeked over her shoulder, she could see the brilliant red in the moonlight.

*: ・ﾟ'✿ﾟ・❀

Minato was working hard on slicing up the newest set of dummies on the training ground when the news came. Jiraiya came into the training area looking flustered.

"What's wrong, Sensei?"

"The Uzumaki girl has been kidnapped. We found a trail, but it ends just outside of her family home. Sensei has asked us and Sakumo Hatake's team to search for her. Go on!"

Minato couldn't understand why Jiraiya was so upset by all of it. Kushina was a member of their village, sure, but he looked like he was worried about something like a kidnapping of the hokage's family. That thought left him quickly enough as concern for his brash friend took over.

"Where does the trail end, Sensei?"

"Right outside of her house, like I said!"

Minato left his sensei to find his team-mates and headed for the Uzumaki Residence. Searching would be more effective if they split up, and besides that, there was no time to lose. Once there, he examined the scene and tried his best to follow the clues that had been left. There were no signs of a struggle, but he could never be sure, Not to be discouraged, he began searching for something, anything really, to let him find her. He had been searching for over an hour when he found a single red strand of hair. It was hers, for sure, he'd know it anywhere. A few yards away, he found another, and another. They were heading in a definite direction, Kumogakure. He decided that he didn't have time to run back for help. They could do anything to her in the meantime. He darted after her as fast as his feet could carry him.

He followed the trail for hours before finally catching up to her kidnappers. They had made a camp in a clearing near a stream. He sat in the trees watching them carefully. Kushina was at the edge of camp, tied to a tree. Her captors were sitting around a fire. There were only two of them, to which he was relieved. HE could handle two ninja, especially since these looked like chunin. One was on watch while the other was keeping guard over Kushina. Minato made his way silently over to the man on watch. Waiting till the perfect moment, he attacked with grace and precision, knocking him unconscious. He hid the body under a bush and silently made his way to the other, careful to camouflage his movements. Once there, he crept up behind the man and sent a kick to his jaw, knocking him unconscious too. Then he turned to face the silent Kushina, and he very carefully unbound her ties. She seemed to be exhausted, so he picked her up and began to make his way back to the village.

After a while, he heard her ask him, "How did you..?"

"It took me a while, but I eventually found the trail of red hair. It wasn't too difficult. Your hair is the most unmistakably beautiful red, after all." He didn't glance down at her, afraid that he would start madly blushing.

Kushina gazed up at her savior and friend with something akin to wonder. No one had ever called her hair beautiful before him except for her mother when she would brush it in the evenings. At that moment, Minato seemed to come to life in a new light for her. He was not the flaky looking boy she had initially taken him for. No, he was her best and most treasured friend, and he thought she was pretty. That counted for a lot in the twelve year old's mind.


	3. A New Jinchuuriki

When Kushina and Minato made it back to the village, they found themselves ushered immediately to the hokage building and then separated. Minato was sent to file a mission report, and for some reason, Kushina was sent to see her great aunt. Kushina entered the old woman's room and stood awkwardly waiting for her. Mito entered after several long minutes and sat on the soft futon, beckoning Kushina to approach. Kushina sat, looking around her in curiosity. For a while they were silent and stared off into space. Mito allowed Kushina enough time to satisfy her curiosity. Soon though, Kushina's questions bubbled over.

"Mito-sama, why was everyone so worried for my health, and safety?"

The old woman turned her crinkled face to her and answered in her raspy voice, "Well Child, can we not worry about you?"

"Yes ma'am, but even the village elders and Hokage-sama were worried..."

Mito looked troubled for a while and then finallysighed and pulled Kushina close and held her. The girl complied easily enough. She had realized over the years that oftentimes the elderly were clingy people and liked to hug and hold people.

"Child, we are of the same clan... The Uzumaki Clan. Our clan is well revered for it's longevity, as you can see by my old age. We are also known for our sealing jutsu. As was our village, Uzushiogakure.

As you know, it is now destroyed because of our seals. At a young age, I was married into the Senju clan, which had always been our very distant relatives, to form closer ties. My husband, Hashirama, became the first hokage. During his battle with Madara of the Uchiha clan, he gained control of the nine-tailed fox and sealed it within me using seals I had taught him. This was so he could win the battle with the Uchiha. It was also to keep our village safe from the threat of the beast. Already, it has almost broken free several times... Now I grow old, and if I don't find another strong person to seal the beast within... When I pass, the beast will die with me. However, a tailed beast cannot truly die, and it will come back and wreak havoc on our village and the shinobi world."

Kushina took several minutes to process this, and then she had another question for Mito. She didn't quite understand why Mito was telling _her_ this.

"Who will you get to seal the fox within?"

For a long while Mito remained silent. Finally, she answered Kushina. "Child, I'm afraid that you will be the next jinchuuriki..." A long pause then. "That is why you were brought here. We could see that Uzushiogakure was going to meet its destruction, so we removed you at a younger age than usual. You still have several months to prepare for the beast..."

Mito's announcement was met with silence on Kushina's part. The child wasn't much of one to cry, so she sat silently instead. Mito finally decided to tell her something to calm her nerves.

"One more thing, child. A jinchuuriki can be happy if they are loved. Fill them with love and they can easily withstand what it means to be a jinchuuriki. It is a lot to have on your shoulders, but you must remain quiet, alright? you may tell one other person, and that is all. You think about that now, and run along."

She motioned that it was alright for Kushina to leave. Kushina walked outside into the main hallway, and was met by Minato's easy smile. She smiled at him, surprised that he had returned for her and the two exited together and went out into the streets of Konoha. They stayed together until they reached the north courtyard, where they had to part ways and head for their respective homes.


	4. Dead Demon Consuming Seal

Kushina's long red hair streamed behind her like a waving flag as she ran through the streets of the Hidden Leaf. Dust rose from where her feet struck the ground as she not-so-silently, but very swiftly, made her way to the estate. She was going to be late again for her lesson with Mito. Somehow, her timing had never been very good. She was not the type to care though, no matter how many times Minato told her she should. He was the only one other than the adults who knew exactly what these meetings were about. Everyone else thought she just went because Mito-sama was her relative, but she was really going for a reason much more important.

Mito was teaching Kushina the art of sealing. The reasons were that it was a must for a jinchuuriki, and also the fact that her family was known for its seals. So now as she dashed through the halls and stairs of the building, all that was on her mind was the swiftly approaching deadline. The day they had set as doomsday for Kushina. She would become the next jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox. This day would also be the day Mito would pass from this world, seeing as no jinchuuriki could survive once their bijuu was taken out. Mito didn't mind though, she would finally be joining her beloved Hashirama. So as Kushina arrived, once again late, Mito smiled at her and asked her how she was doing as if she weren't going to die in a week.

Kushina sat at her usual spot at the little tea table Mito had set up in her room and waited politely as Mito served the tea. While teaching Kushina all manner of things on seals, she had also been teaching her manners and discipline, skills an Uzumaki lady must have. They sat quietly through tea and when they were finally done with all the small talk and such, they allowed someone to come and take their dishes away.

Mito stood and led Kushina out of her room and down the stairs to the training room. It was a slow process. When they finally got to their respective spots, Kushina was motioned to sit down. A moment later, much to her surprise, a very familiar blond head walked through one of the many doors. A blush immediately rose to the young red head's face, and she hid her pretty violet eyes. Minato and she had become very close over the last few months. He was her pillar of support through all of it. He flashed her a grin and came to sit by her. Her blush deepened even moreso. Mito finally spoke.

"Now I know that you have been teaching Minato all the seals that I myself have taught you, Kushina, and that he is also exemplary at them for a boy not of the Uzumaki clan."

At this they were both shocked into silence. They had been doing this in secret and they didn't have the slightest idea how she had found out.

"However, today I will be teaching him a seal that can only be performed by a non-jinchuuriki. I will not be able to demonstrate, for this seal is deadly. Let me explain. This seal is known as the Death-Demon Consuming Seal. It summons forth the Shinigami, or death god. It takes the sacrifice of the person who casts the jutsu to work, and once the jutsu is cast, it cannot be stopped or undone. Once you cast this jutsu, the Shinigami will wrap his left arm in prayer beads, causing runes to appear all along his arm. After this, he will thrust his hand into the user's gut, and then continue through the user to the soul he or she wants to seal. After this, the Shinigami will slowly begin to draw the soul out of the other person's body and into yours. The jutsu is very painful and the Shinigami is only visible at first to the person who casts the justu. After the Shinigami has touched the other person, the one being sealed, it is then visible to them too. The only visible things to outsiders are the runes which appear on the people involved in the jutsu, and the hand signs, which I will now show you."

For a moment, both tweens sat stunned, but immediately trained their attention to Mito when she began to demonstrate the hand signs needed. Minato memorized them instantly, though Kushina had a harder time with them. After it was all over and their minds had finally stopped spinning, Minato had a question.

"Mito-sama, I have a question. Why would you want me to know this jutsu badly enough to teach it to me? What do _I_ have to do with all of this?"

Mito's old eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Minato, that is a very good question. I can see that you care about Kushina deeply," This caused both of them to turn red and fidget in their seats, "and some day I know that you two will be a team, whether it's romantically, or if you're still only best friends. I need to to be able to entrust this seal to you in case the fox were to ever escape Kushina."

Kushina now had a question. "But how could it escape me, Mito-sama? I thought that was the point of the seal."

Mito looked very serious now. "Child, there is something you must know. There is a time when a jinchuuriki's seal is at its weakest. This time would be during childbirth. If someone were not there during my children's births to maintain the seal, the kyuubi would have escaped and wreaked havoc on Konoha. It nearly did during my first baby's, if it hadn't been for Hashirama."

Both the tweens were in awe, now realizing why she had taught Kushina to maintain a seal early on. It was hard to concentrate on anything else for the remainder of the day, so Mito dismissed them early. Both heads were spinning with this new information, and a trickle of fear wormed its way into both of their hearts.


	5. Goodbye

Minato was about as nervous as he'd ever been in his whole life. Today was the day they'd all been waiting for, the day the kyuubi would be resealed. Mito-sama had said her tear-filled goodbyes, and she was ready to move on. Minato was to be present at the sealing to, as Mito put it, "Hold Kushina's hand and be there for her." Minato would never admit it to anyone, but he was scared out of his shoes over the whole ordeal.

Finishing getting dressed by tying on his hitai-ate, Minato exited his small apartment where he lived on his own. His parents had handed him over to the Hidden Leaf when he was an infant. All he knew of them was that they hailed from a strange, foreign land, surrounded by water and whipped by wind, and that they were rather important there. They had wanted him to become a ninja, instead of living a life confined into being a monarch. He was quite glad they had done so, because he wouldn't trade being a ninja for the world. His first job was to pick Kushina up and escort her to the secret area they had prepared for the sealing. It was heavily guarded, and had a set of seals that only the Sandaime could open and close.

Walking down the streets of Konoha in the early morning light had always been a favorite pastime for Minato. People were just waking up and moving around, the birds were singing, and the sun was shining weakly through the housetops. It was a little chilly, but his windbreaker did the job of keeping him warm. His blond hair was unusual in this village, so it caused many of the people he passed to stop what they were doing and wave, knowing it had to be the Namikaze boy. He waved back to as many people as he could, still in a hurry to pick Kushina-chan up, because knowing her, she'd not even be ready when he got there, and he'd have to drag her out of bed. He smiled softly. He wanted to think that he and Kushina were an unofficial couple, what with neither of them asking each other on an official date. He could never be sure about her feelings, though. She could just see him as her best freind. Usually they would just grab a bite to eat together, or they might catch a movie. Sometimes they trained together, too. Jiraiya was already acquainted with the young kunoichi, and teased Minato endlessly about her. Minato made no assumptions and just tried to be as good to her as eh could possibly could.

Arriving at Kushina's door, he knocked loudly. After a few minutes of hearing nothing but birds singing and people moving about outside, he quietly reached for the key under the doormat and let himself in. The entire house was dark save for one small light to help her get around. He walked into the hall and knocked on Kushina's door loudly, trying to wake her. When he still got no reply, he opened the door. What he saw next brought a huge smile to his face. Kushina was curled up tightly in a ball, sheets and covers tangled all around her, with Jiraiya's book that Minato had given her clutched tightly to her chest.

Minato laughed and walked over, deciding a swift approach was necessary, and poked her in the ribs. He almost lost it when her face tensed and she let out a low grumble about people jabbing her with things, but quickly regained his composure. He then decided that desperate measures might be a good idea, and leaned over her, moving her soft veil of red hair out of the way. His heart skipped a beat when she let out a deep sigh and sniffed the air. Whispering in her ear, he told her,

"Kushina-channnnnnnn. You have to get up now, it's Minato."

Kushina moaned in her sleep, and grumbled,

"But Minato-kunnn, it's not even daylight yet…..!"

Minato snickered a bit and then eased her up into a sitting position.

"You know today is very important."

Kushina slowly blinked her green eyes open and rubbed at them, yawning.

"Damn… I wanted to sleep."

"Well, you shouldn't have stayed up all night!"

"How did you know-?"

"I know you, Kushina-chan."

With that, he pulled her up out of bed and untangled her from the covers, leaving her to change. He walked into the sitting room and sat on an ottoman, glancing around at the pictures sitting in half-light. They were of her family, and not just her parents. All of the Uzumakis, and even more. Almost her whole village was in these pictures. She lived on her own now, like him. After learning that he lived on his own, she had insisted on moving out of her parents' home. They had readily agreed, so long as she stayed in the small townhouse they had put away. They were now living in Mito's house. Since Tsunade had left the village, they were the only inheritants.

Kushina walked into the room looking wide awake about a half-hour later. Luckily, Minato had gotten up in plenty of time for this, since he knew Kushina so well. Together, the two exited the house into the now awake streets of Konoha. Kushina practically dragged Minato along behind her as she ran towards the Hokage building where they were supposed to meet Sarutobi-sama and the others. Sarutobi would be leading them to the secret meeting place.

When they arrived at the Hokage building, they were immediately ushered into the third's office. The elders were there, Koharu and Homura standing, as usual, stoic to either side of the third, and Danzo lurking in a corner. Distrust filled Minato when he looked at the bandaged old man. Minato and Kushina moved to a far corner of the room and watched as the preparations were made. Sarutobi had a group of ANBU escort everyone to be involved outside the village, and then he himself lead the party through a maze of trees and then caves to the secret room where the resealing would be held. The only people allowed inside the chamber were himself, his wife, Biwako, the elders, and of course, Minato, Kushina, and Mito. Everyone else was to stay inside the barrier, but out of the sealing room for their own safety. Mito made her way to a chair on one side of the room, and motioned for Kushina to sit across from her. They were both strapped in, and then their hands were joined together. Nervously, Minato made his way over to Kushina's side and sat next to her on the floor. Surprisingly, both Mito and Kushina smiled reassuringly at him, and his resolve hardened. If both these women could be strong, considering that one was facing death and the other was facing having a demon sealed in her, he could also be strong. Once both women were prepared, a few candles were lit, and Sarutobi and Biwako were standing alongside, prepared to jump in and help at the slightest sign of trouble, they began.

Mito chanted a few words, her brows furrowed in concentration, and suddenly, a red glow began off of her belly. She continued chanting, though her face was screwed up in pain, and the glow began to move suddenly upward, towards her chest cavity. Minato watched in fascination, sweat beading on his forehead as the glow moved up to her shoulder and down her arm towards Kushina. Kushina was shaking in fright by now, and he took her hand, rubbing it in soothing circles. Suddenly, at the tips of her fingers, the glow stopped. Mito's violet eyes flew open, and with a softly uttered "goodbye" to the presence of the fox, the glow moved from her fingertips and into Kushina. Mito did not immediately collapse, but she could no longer speak for weakness. Her age was affecting her. She pushed hard, and Kushina's shriek filled the air as the glow moved into her body. Kushina's spare hand went into a death grip as the glow moved down her small arm and into her body. Minato's heart skipped a beat at the sound of her pain-filled shriek, and he tensed. The red glow continued down her arm and into her chest cavity as Sarutobi made his way over. He watched carefully as Sarutobi did the hand signs for the eight trigrams sealing style, making a throne appear. Minato watched carefully as Hiruzen sat Kushina on it, and with a small burst of chakra, sealed the nine tails within her, The whole room lit up bright red for a moment before fading, and Kushina immediately lifted her shirt to look at the seal fading on her stomach. Minato barely had time to undo her straps and catch her before she had jumped up with a look of awe, and then collapsed to the floor due to weak and sore muscles.

Hiruzen, meanwhile, had unstrapped Mito and lain her on a bed in the corner of the room. The old woman was taking short, gasping breaths, and he quickly ushered everyone in to see her in her final moments. With a nod from Biwako, Minato laid Kushina next to Mito on the bed, and the old woman brought her arm weakly to the girl, gently trying to pull her close. Kushina managed to scoot close enough to the woman to hear what she had to say, and Mito managed to whisper throatily,

"Did you find your sun?"

Kushina glanced for one long moment at Minato and then turned her head back to Mito. She watched the old woman for a long moment.

"Yes I did. And Mito-sama... thank you for filling me with love."

With this, Mito managed to smile weakly and shut her eyes as her breathing stilled and her heart beat for the final time. Kushina's eyes filled with tears and Minato had to take her hand to keep her from lifting herself to look at the old woman. Biwako, Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura were moved to quiet tears by the young genin, and they all quickly wiped them away muttering about dust in their eyes. They all payed their respects, and Hiruzen lifted Mito's ancient body into his arms as they exited the cave, Minato carrying Kushina's sobbing form.


	6. What?

**A/N: I'm going to be skipping time a lot in this fic. It's got to cover a whole lot of time and all. Do you guys want me to go back and change some of these scenes to fit the anime perfectly, or should I leave them as they are? Leave me a note in the reviews.**

Much time had passed in the Hidden Leaf. It had been three years now since the fox had been sealed in Kushina. Both she and Minato were eighteen, and had been promoted to jonin.

Both were up to get their first genin team when the next class graduated. Kushina was excited, already anticipating their first mission.

Minato, of course, was worried about his own ability.

_What if I'm not ready for this? Am I good enough to be teaching the next generation? I haven't even completed __**that**__ jutsu yet._

They were sitting in a barbecue joint. Kushina had her favorite dish, compliments of her blond-best-friend.

It was completely predictable that neither had worked up the nerve to ask the other one out on a date. Kushina had plenty of confidence and everything, but Minato could turn her into a pile of mush if he turned those startlingly blue eyes on her. Minato was always shy, but especially when it came to her. He had improved with almost everyone else, but talking to Kushina already took a massive amount of effort. He always worried about messing up and saying the wrong thing.

The owner always teased them about it. They made a point to meet there twice a week, sharing the costs. One payed one day and the other payed the next. People knew when and where to catch them. If one was away on a mission on their day, as soon as they got back, the two of them would head off somewhere to eat together. You could say they were unofficially dating, and neither would acknowledge it even if they were under torture.

He knew Kushina would have preferred to get ramen, but as of yet there were no ramen restaurants in Konohagakure. As she ate, she secretly evaluated Minato's movements. It was useless, though. She already knew him so well that it was unnecessary. Still, it was something she did out of habit.

Minato smiled to himself. Kushina was always watching him, though she pretended she was not. He was prone to doing it too, though he hid his interest much better than she did. His goal was to be the next hokage, so he had to be the best shinobi he could possibly be. He was very good at hiding a lot of things, as a result. He knew perfectly the way she held her chopsticks, the way she brushed her hair out of her eyes when it fell in her face, and everything about her. All her little quirks and what made her tick. He wondered sometimes if his love was as plain in his eyes as it was in his heart, but she remained forever naive. Maybe that was one of the reasons he loved her.

It was as inexplicable to him as anyone else. Why did he love her? Everything about her charmed him. From that first day he had seen her, at the academy, till now, she had captured his heart. She encouraged him. Her bravery helped him to be brave. He was sure that he wouldn't have been able to endure the teasing that she had, or even go so far as to turn it around on her attackers. She had also grown into a splendid shinobi. Ninja from other villages feared her nearly as much as they feared him. She would be tough competition if she did go for the hokage spot, but he felt sure she would not. It was his dream and she acknowledged it, saying her outburst that day had only been to prove that she would belong.

Now as he sat, waiting for her to finish her meal so he could pay the bill, his greatest wish was that he would be able to say something, _anything_ really, to let her know how he felt. They had known each other for well over ten years now and he'd never said a word.

She finished rather quickly, and Minato paid the bill. They left the restaurant chatting amiably. Tonight was the night of the Firefly Festival in her old village, and so she and Minato were going to celebrate together to help her remember. They had set aside a small meadow outside of her family's house on the outskirts of the village. To get there, they took a few back-streets. It was getting late, and was rather dark, but they arrived near the northern edge of the village in no time. The hokage monument loomed above them, the faces of the three prior hokage etched in stone.

"Some day your face will be up there too, Blondie."

Minato laughed, making out her green eyes in the dim lighting.

"You seem so sure of it!"

"Of course! I know you'll do it!"

Minato blushed scarlet, glad it was dark. Her words set his pride to tingling. It made him happy when she seemed so proud of him. They continued to walk in silence, the light of her household shining about three hundred yards away. They took a left at a large oak and entered a thicket, and then there was silence for a moment. Paper lanterns were strung above their heads, lit previously by one of their hands. Suddenly, the quiet ended quite forcefully as they passed the barrier that hid the location of the clearing, and entered. Friends surrounded them, and pushed them together. He could see Jiraiya's face, along with his remaining team mate. The other had died in combat a few years past. Kushina's team was here, minus her sensei, Hatake Sakumo. He had been lost to seppuku(*) in the year prior. Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha were there too. Mikoto was expecting her first child, to be named Itachi. It wasn't a crowd, but it was all of their friends, and for that, they were happy. A few faces really stood out. The hokage and his wife Biwako were in attendance as well as Orochimaru and Tsunade, the other two members of the sannin.

A feeling of distrust like a wave shot through Minato at the sight of Orochimaru. The man just... didn't seem trustworthy. But, soon after, he lost sight of him thanks to the shadows. Thoughts of the snake sannin left his mind. In the jumble of people greeting them, Kushina had taken his hand. He felt himself blush and didn't let go even when the people dispersed, so neither did she. She tugged him along the edge of the lantern-lit clearing till they found a bench set up in a quiet space. They sat, with her gently releasing his hand, but he found enough courage to keep his hold on hers. She smiled at him briefly, and moved her hand back to clasp his. Her red hair fell like a sheet around her face, and he fell under the spell of her beauty, mesmerized.

He suddenly realized he was staring, and, blushing, turned to look at really anything but her. It was impossible, though. She had a magnetism for him. He didn't realize it, but they were attracting attention. Most of their friends had come for Kushina and he, but all were impatient to see a relationship between the two. Both were so blind that they never saw the others' emotion. It was a complete surprise to both of them, then, when Jiraiya managed to sneak up on them both and snap a picture of them holding hands. Minato scrambled back from the flash, and Kushina blinked unsteadily. A moment later and Jiraiya was fleeing from an irate redhead. Minato sat alone and looked up at the lanterns, waiting for her to return. In the meantime, Kushina was assailed by Mikoto Uchiha.

"Hey, Kushina!"

Kushina was distracted from her white-haired manhunt long enough to talk to her best friend.

"Oh, hey Mikoto."

Mikoto was just starting to show, and the pink blush on her cheeks fit her healthy complexion beautifully.

"Ummm, May I ask what you're doing?"

Kushina scratched the back of her head sheepishly, realizing how angry she had just been.

"Ah, just, uh, trying to catch Jiraiya, ya know?"

Mikoto was able to smile secretively to herself. She and Lady Tsunade had been able to put him up to snapping the picture.

"Oh, for snapping that picture? Why? You and Minato-san looked adorable and I bet he just couldn't help himself!"

Kushina's red hair matched her face perfectly at this.

"Wh-What are you talking about?"

"You and Minato make the cutest couple!"

"Wh-What the heck are you talking about? We're not a couple, ya know!"

"Oh, but Kushina-chan, you can see it in his eyes! He's in love with you!"

"That's not possible!"

"But it is. He loves you even more than you love him. And I do know you love him. If you don't believe me, fine. Go over there and kiss him, and then you'll find out!"

Kushina stuttered for a moment as Mikoto left her standing alone under a circle of lantern light. She briefly considered pursuing Jiraiya again, but decided against it. She pondered what Mikoto had said, thinking of Minato's actions.

"It... can't possibly be true. But... It seems so... right? What harm can it do to test the theory...? Besides, if I don't give him my first kiss soon, there's a chance that I'll never get to."

Kushina slowly made her way back through the party, unaware she was now being followed by the same pervert she'd been trying to catch. She stood in the shadows a few feet away, surveying Minato. He was stargazing absentmindedly right now. His hand remained where their hands had been minutes ago. She decided to play it cool for now.

Kushina returned to her seat rather quietly, and until her hand slipped back into his, Minato noticed nothing. However, as soon as he felt her smooth skin touching his again, his attention returned to her and only her.

"Did you catch Sensei?"

"No, but I'm sure he's lurking somewhere. I'll get him eventually. What stars were you looking at?"

Minato blushed. He had been looking at Antares, a red star. It reminded him of her.

"Antares... It's a famous red star, though we can't see it's color without a telescope."

Kushina listened in awe as he told her about the different colors of stars and their heat degrees according to color. She moved closer and closer as he talked, his attention diverted. Finally, as he was telling her about Sirius, the dog star, she leaned towards him, preparing for their lips to meet. Minato's attention finally came back to her, and their close proximity scared him for a moment. He tried to lean back and give her some space. However, Kushina was nearly in his lap now and he tumbled off the end of the bench, carrying her with him. They landed in a neat pile with her on his chest, looking bewildered.

_Oh Kami... She's going to kill me! Look at this position we're in and-_

His thought was cut off as Kushina smiled softly, her lips descending onto his. They were even softer than they looked and he went into a daze for a moment. Then it was over. He was blushing so hard that he was incoherent, and he barely made out the sound of applauding. He realized the entire party was clapping humorously. He laid there for a moment before her lips touched his again. This time he forced the cloudiness back and kissed her back, realizing that Kushina was voluntarily kissing him. He needed to enjoy it while he could before she butchered him.

Kushina was floating on a cloud. So he _did_ like her back! After several moments she stumbled off of him and offered him her hand. He took it gratefully and they seated themselves safely back on the bench.

"Did that really just happen?"

He brushed his tousled blond locks back down into some sort of arrangement as he asked the question, trying to appear comfortable.

"It did... Did you... uh... like... it?"

"Did you?"

"Well, ah, it was my first kiss, ya know, and uh, it was... everything I wanted it to be."

Kushina's red hair matched her face and she sat with her hands clasped in her lap.

"Well, um, then... it was w-wonderful."

"Really?"

"Really."


	7. A Mission

Excitement filled Minato at Jiraiya's words. Kushina would be joining them for a mission! Apparently Kushina's teammates were going on a mission with another team, and since Jiraiya's team had lost all of its members anyways, they were going to add Kushina on. Minato and Kushina had always wanted to go on missions together, but the opportunity had never arisen.

"Uzumaki Kushina will be joining us, Minato. I'm sure you two will get along just fine, ne?"

A blush touched Minato's cheeks. The fresh memory of their embarrassing kiss at that Firefly Festival haunted his mind constantly. It had successfully given them the boost they needed to get their romantic relationship going. Minato had asked her on a date the very same night. They had headed out to eat breakfast the next morning. It was successful, too. Minato managed to not embarrass himself, and Kushina was finally starting to realize just how much she liked him.

"Y-Yes sir. We'll get along well."

Jiraiya chuckled at the blond's embarrassment. Sometimes Minato and Kushina reminded him of he and Tsunade. He supposed that everything was destined to repeat itself, time after time. He left the blond behind and started on his way to the Hokage office. He had to let his teacher know who he was taking on this very special assignment. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the Sandaime giving them such a high-rank mission... It was just that he wondered why it had to be _this_ mission. He was sending the toad sage, his apprentice, and their young jinchuuriki after someone very important to the village's future. Just, why did it have to be _her?_ Tsunade was the last person he wanted to have to go after. She 'd shattered his heart into pieces after Dan's death. He understood losing someone you loved. After all, he'd watched her fall head-over-heels for Dan. But she had completely shut down. She had been so _cold._She wouldn't talk to him, wouldn't let anyone comfort her. She just up and left, taking Dan's legacy with her. Yes, she even took Dan's little niece with her. It enraged him to think about it, but of course he wouldn't show this on the outside. She had been gone for a little over a week, and several units had been sent after her. All of them returned bruised and broken.

He had known it would eventually come to this. He knew he would have to be the one to go after the broken-hearted blond. There was nothing else to it. Sometimes he wondered why he didn't move on, stop giving everything to her. Dammit, he was going to be thirty in four years. It wouldn't be long before he would want a family. Why couldn't he move on from her? He wanted happiness, something he knew he might never get if he kept insisting on loving her. He shook out his long white hair, rolling his eyes. Just the thought of those expressive brown eyes, silky blond hair, fiery temper, and those breasts... _Kami_, he could daydream all day about those breasts. His lips twitched in amusement. He had known since the day he had met her that he would never get over her. he looked over his shoulder to see the blond following after him dutifully. He allowed a thought to stray into his mind. It was a fragile hope, held up only by the strings of a repeatedly-broken heart. A heart that continued to persist on in its effort to keep on loving that damn woman.

If they somehow managed to drag that bitch bag to the village, he would heal her, He wasn't a medic, that was for sure, but he would try his damnedest to heal her shattered heart. If he succeeded, he might just be able to leave his mantle to that boy, following him. He would surrender his own personal dream of being Hokage if it meant being with Tsunade. but he didn't let the thought stay for long. he pushed it to the back of his mind. If he thought about it, you could be sure luck wouldn't go his way. No, he was one of those people who had to rush headlong into everything, and so far, it had worked.

He approached the Hokage office and beckoned for Minato to follow, heading up the winding staircase on the outside of the building. They entered on the top floor, walking the short distance to the doors of the office. Jiraya tapped loudly, hearing the rough and gravelly voice of his mentor.

"Enter."

Jiraiya pushed the door open, staying silent as he listened to Hiruzen Sarutobi argue with his two peers, the elders of the village. He stood still against the wall, his apprentice mimicking him. Minato had grown a lot from that skilled ten-year-old brat who had first been on his team. He had grown a hell of a lot taller, and exchanged his childish jump-suit for a more traditional outfit befitting a jonin. His tousled blond hair looked like Jiraiya's own; it stuck up in all directions. His side bangs were ever-present, along with his headband. The lucky kid still had the same one Jiraiya had presented to him after their genin promotion test. He would admit that Minato was still lanky, though he had definitely filled out. He was truly a looker. Jiraiya snorted, attracting the attention of his oblivious apprentice.

_The kid doesn't even realize how good he's got it. He's head-over-heels for that Uzumaki girl, while every other girl in the village would love to get in his pants! _

Jiraiya shook his head. All would go well with Minato and Kushina, of that he was sure. If he had to strangle that boy to make him see that she loved him too, he definitely would. He was not going to let him screw anything up like he himself did with Tsunade. The elders soon exited, interrupting his own musing.

"What now, Jiraiya? Haven't you done enough peeping out of my window for today?"

Jiraiya chuckled. Many people didn't realize that the third did have a sense of humor, no matter how serious he may seem at times.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm taking this kid and Uzumaki Kushina with me to fetch Tsunade." He said, jerking his thumb at the teenager behind him.

"Uzumaki Kushina? Is that all? You're only taking two with you?" The Professor looked skeptical, but slightly impressed that Jiraiya judged the two of them to be all of the backup he needed.

"Yeah. Minato here is my apprentice, so I have faith in this kid. Uzumaki has a power that is all her own. She has unseen potential."

"Alright, if that's what you deem fit, then so be it. Be prepared to leave at dusk."

Jiraiya nodded, recognizing their dismissal. He and Minato left the office, heading downstairs. Jiraiya stopped at the front desk to flirt for a moment, but otherwise they went on their way. He stopped in the street outside and faced his student. They had about two hours before dusk.

"Alright, kid. Go tell your girlfriend that we're headed out. You have two hours. Meet me at the south gate. Our last source with a sighting of Tsunade said she was heading in that direction."

Minato looked at his mentor with excited eyes. "Yes, sir!"

Minato tore out down the street, his adrenaline pumping. He and Kushina were going on a mission together! An A-rank mission, at that!

Jiraiya let a low chuckle escape, watching the gangly teenager narrowly dodge a man with a cabbage cart. The man's own panic made the cart tip over, and a shout of "My cabbages!" could be heard for several blocks.

Minato sincerely did feel bad about the cart, but he couldn't stop to help pick up. Kushina would already be pissed when she found out she had so little time to get ready. He couldn't afford to waste any more time. He made it to her apartment in record timing, panting as he knocked on the door.

Kushina opened the door to a familiar blond, panting and holding his knees in front of her door. She suppressed a laugh, leaning against the door frame with one hand on her hip.

"Whatcha want, Blondie?"

He huffed and puffed for a minute, and finally straightened, smiling dazzlingly at her.

"We got a mission together, Kushina-chan! It's just you, me, and Jiraiya-sensei. We leave at dusk, though, so meet us by the south gate, okay?"

Kushina blinked in shock and then anger, rolling her eyes. "Alright, alright! Couldn't I get a heads-up before now?"

"Gomen, Jiraya-sensei only just told me a while ago... Well, I need to go pack, myself. See you then!"

The blond dashed away from her doorstep, and Kushina shut the door with a smile on her lips. He seemed to have more energy than she did, sometimes.

Minato walked into his own apartment calmly, going over in his head exactly what he would need. He began to search through boxes of supplies, going over exact amounts of shuriken and such. His only problem was finding them, He was so disorganized sometimes...

Kushina on the other hand, walked into her supply closet and had an idea of where everything was. Her only problem was knowing _how_ much she might need. She sighed, going with the lsit Minato had given her. Soon, her kunai, shuriken, and ninja tool pouches were full, and she put a medicinal pouch on her hip, too. She didn't seem like the type to be a medic, but she was. She was also proficient at combat, so she rarely used her medical skills. She then grabbed her backpack, filling it with thing like toiletries and clothes, extra scrolls, ink, and brushes, and even her sleeping roll. Everything fit perfectly.

Minato managed to fit everything into his pack, knowing Kushina would organize it and make it look pretty, later. he finished packing with just enough time to get to their meeting place, so he turned everything off in his little apartment, and departed.

Kushina finished with time to spare and checked her appearance on a mirror. She left for the meeting place with time to spare. She suppressed her happiness. This mission, she was sure, would be great!


	8. Toad and Slug

_I apologize for the long strings of time between updates. I'll try and write a few chapters now, while my muse is still thinking about all of this, and get this going somewhere._

__The smell of the ocean was starting to overcome the fresh scent of the deciduous trees that had surrounded them for so many miles. The forest that Hashirama Senju had made stood tall even to this day, and they would have easily lost their way among the trees if it weren't for Jiraiya's impeccable sense of direction, Minato's map skills, and Kushina's natural awareness of their rough location.

They had been traveling for many days, following leads on the slug princess. Today, it seemed. they might finally corner her in this shoreside village. It was a tourist attraction, with an amusement park. But the thing that attracted Tsunade had to be the rather large casino that dominated the village. Many a tourist lost their money to the casino and pickpockets alike.

The treeline broke and they were soon flying off the path and onto the main road, running on the chakra-laced shoes in haste. The sooner the mission was over, the better.

The reason Tsunade was being brought back to the village was quite simple, really. Sooner or later, they were going to need a new hokage. So far, of everyone in the village, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were the best candidates. And their own teacher, the third, was severely disappointed in Tsunade. While she may have been in love with Dan, she was a ninja. She was supposed to be prepared for the loss of her comrades. Fleeing the village to gamble away her grief was not befitting of one in her position.

Which was why Jiraiya was sent after her. Hiruzen recognized his feelings toward the other sannin more easily than even Jiraiya did. If anyone could bring her back, it would be him.

Jiraiya shook himself out of his sullen state, pouting over his current predicament. He was sure that Tsunade wouldn't come back with him, and had been pouting over it most of the morning. What a waste of effort.

The kids were behind him. Both of the seventeen year olds were at the peak of their health, enjoying themselves quite thoroughly on this mission. They actually made a great team, despite their immaturity at times. Mostly it was harmless joking and pranking, which was normal and good for a functioning team of ninja. Minato's calculating nature and Kushina's trust in him made them work well. They could quickly come up with a plan and see it through. Jiraiya had seen them work together before, though they had never been on a mission together without at least one other person on their squad. This was the first time the three had been out as a squad.

The thing about it was that it wasn't the combination of someone unintelligent and a genius. Some teams were like that. It was more that Minato and Jiraiya were geniuses in their own rights, and so was Kushina. She wasn't allowed to be recognized for it because she was jinchuriki. Her sealing prowess, chakra chains, and the nine tails made her a very formidable opponent. After her sensei, Hatake Sakumo had passed, she had been handed over to Jiraiya.

Kushina didn't like it and Jiraiya knew it. She was plenty capable, but because of her jinchuriki status, she could never be allowed to go on missions alone. Which meant that if she wanted to have a genin team, she'd have to take them out on missions with other teams. Her team wouldn't be pleased at all. For this reason, Minato was putting off getting his own team. Of course, it would still be a few more years anyway, but he was wary of doing so. He knew she would be lonely without anything to do. Kushina was so used to being a ninja, and part of being a shinobi was training your own team when you came of age.

The village was appearing in their sights, so thoughts of the future would have to wait. From here, on the cliff above, the people below looked like little ants bustling about. The path ran down the cliff and headed into the village. While they were up there and out of the way, Jiraiya stopped, hearing the two behind him skid to a stop as well.

The casino was located in the middle of the hustle and bustle. Out on the boardwalk there was a ferris wheel and stands, all shut down and lonely at this time of day, but tonight it would be all hustle and bustle. They would be staying for a few days while they scoped out Tsunade and made note of her daily habits.

It was going to be difficult to find a time to speak with her. And even more difficult to make her listen. Jiraiya sighed. This was going to be stressful.

"Minato, Kushina, what is the first thing a shinobi should do on a reconnaissance mission?"

Kushina and Minato exchanged a look. Of course they both knew, but who would answer? Kushina looked at Minato expectantly, but was surprised when he pushed her forward with a cheeky grin. Jiraiya grinned as he saw her eyebrow twitch in immediate irritation. His apprentice would pay for that, he sensed.

"Ah-!" She paused to smooth her rumpled traveling outfit. "A shinobi should first locate any and all threats within the vicinity, Jiraiya-sensei."

Jiraiya had to remind himself that she was at least ten years younger than he. His nose twitched and he swiped at it, irritated. He had to remember that other ladies were off-limits if he wanted to capture Tsunade's heart.

"Correct, Kushina. What are the possible threats that could be in this village at this point in time, Minato?"

The blond stepped up beside Kushina, taking a step out of her reach as he did so to avoid her irate fist. It swung out and barely missed the now-smug teenager's arm. Kushina's eyebrow twitched again.

"Sensei, there could be many threats in this village. Anything from an irresponsible civilian to undercover enemy ninja, Sir."

Jiraiya watched them with a small grin.

"Alright, good. You two aren't chunin anymore, and I'm going to stop treating you as such. Just remember one thing: our main enemy is going to be Tsunade. She's going to be drunken and irate that Sarutobi-Sensei sent us after her. Remember her strength. She _will_ use it against you, no matter how much she may like the two of you."

He took the chance to ruffle his apprentice's already messy and spiky hair, and then went on to pat Kushina on the head. He didn't want to risk her ire if he messed it up after she had so carefully smoothed it down.

Turning to look down on the village in front of him, he put his hands on his hips.

"Well, then. Shall we?"

With that, he hopped off the edge of the precipice, landing on a ledge about ten feet down. There were actually plenty of them, but the civilians had a path for themselves. He laughed heartily as his students peered over the cliff with shocked, panicked expressions which quickly turned into relief.

"Are you shinobi or aren't you? Hurry up, we're wasting time!"


End file.
